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Angels, Rangers start big set in Arlington

Aug 26, 2011 - 3:00 PM (Sports Network) - The Texas Rangers seemed to be well on their way to another American League West title following a series win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last week. Since then, though, the Rangers have gone in the tank, while the Angels have rolled, and what was a seemingly comfortable seven-game cushion has been dwindled down to two games.

Tonight, the Angels hope to cut into the deficit even further when they begin a three-game set at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

"I think we match up well," said Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo, whose walk- off homer against the Rangers on Aug. 18 started the Halos' win streak. "When we're playing well, I think we match up with anybody. I know at times our offense has struggled, and everyone knows they can hit. It's no secret we need to score some runs against them."

Los Angeles dropped the first three tests of their four-game set with the Rangers, but won the finale of that series and have gone on to win five more in a row following back-to-back sweeps of Baltimore and the Chicago White Sox.

Behind a terrific effort from Jered Weaver on Wednesday, the Angels completed their two-game sweep of the White Sox, beating them 8-0.

Weaver (15-6) snapped a four-start winless stretch by holding Chicago to four hits over seven scoreless innings while walking two and striking out eight in his outing.

"I love the way we're playing right now, taking one game at a time and not worrying about Texas," said Torii Hunter, who homered in the win.

The Angels' roll could continue tonight, as they send righty Dan Haren to the hill in search of his fourth straight winning decision. Haren beat the Orioles on Friday, surrendering three runs and nine hits in seven innings to run his record to 13-6 on the year to go along with a 2.98 ERA.

Haren did not get a decision the last time he faced the Rangers, but was hit hard, allowing seven runs in just 4 1/3 frames of a 9-8 win. He is 4-6 lifetime against them with a 3.90 ERA in 15 starts.

As hot as the Angels have been since that last series with the Rangers, Texas has been just as cold and fell for the fifth time in its last six tries on Thursday, falling 6-0 to the Boston Red Sox.

"They whipped our butts for three days," said Rangers manager Ron Washington. "We couldn't pitch to stop them, and we couldn't get anything going offensively."

Hoping to get back on track tonight the Rangers will pin their hopes on Derek Holland, who is coming off an awful outing his last time out. Holland was battered by the Chicago White Sox on Sunday for five runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings, dropping him to 11-5, while raising his ERA to 4.42.

Holland beat the Rangers two starts ago and is 4-3 in 11 games (eight starts) against them with a 5.40 ERA.

"I've got to go out there and make my pitches," said Holland. "That's really all I worry about. I can't worry about things that have happened before, especially going against Anaheim. These guys want to win. It's a big series. They're trying to take the title from us, and our job is to keep them down."

Texas has won seven of its 13 matchups with the Angels in 2011, but the teams have split six games in Arlington.